"Nature wins": Malibu surfer surveys damage from Palisades Fire

STORY: :: January 8, 2025

:: Matt Diamond

Malibu resident

:: 'Nature wins' says California surfer

looking over ruined Palisades homes

:: Malibu, California

"It's a lot. It's a lot but you know, nature wins and I just saw a lot of a friends' homes go down and luckily my place saved. We lost a lot of homes, a lot of homes and it's unfortunate but that's part of the world we live in today."

"On a positive note, you can see the ocean again. I mean, you go by all these houses and they're all burned down and you have a clear sight of the ocean so that's like, as a native, maybe going back to the Chumash Indians, real natives, that's the positive note."

Many coastal homes, businesses, and cars were destroyed and left behind. Fire crews continued to battle spot fires as several properties were set ablaze by the dangerous wind gusts in the area. The Palisades Fire exploded overnight, growing to over 15 thousand acres and forcing thousands to evacuate.

Malibu resident Matt Diamond, 35, said, "It's a lot but you know, nature wins... it's unfortunate but that's part of the world we live in today."

Pacific Coast Highway - or PCH - is known for its beautiful weather, beaches, and multi-million dollar properties, but on Wednesday, most of those buildings were reduced to rubble. Diamond expects the community to rally behind one another and said the town will be built better than before.